- fissure (n.)
- c. 1400, from Old French fissure (13c.) and directly from Latin fissura "a cleft," from root of findere "to split, cleave, separate, divide," from PIE *bhi-n-d-, from root *bheid- "to split" (source also of Sanskrit bhinadmi "I cleave," Old High German bizzan "to bite," Old English
bita "a piece bitten off, morsel," Old Norse beita "to
hunt with dogs," beita "pasture, food").